Sacramento is moving forward with a potential answer to the city’s homeless crisis by dispersing them to different neighborhoods around the city.

The city council’s homeless task force held a special meeting Monday night, inspired by a recent trip to Seattle where officials toured city-sanctioned “tent cities.”

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The months-long protest outside Monday’s special meeting was impossible to ignore. Several homeless advocates urged the task force to repeal the anti-camping ordinance.

"It's based on the stereotype that people are choosing to be homeless and are unwilling to receive help," Right to Rest activist Shahera Hyatt said. "We are so uncomfortable with the sight of poverty that we call the police."

The focus group looked to Seattle and used its encampments as models.

"There was no way that I thought we would allow a tent city to erupt in Sacramento that could become a very lawless place," District 3 Council member Jeff Harris said.

Harris was among a group of 20 city leaders and homeless advocates that toured Seattle’s encampments. He said the trip made a surprising impression.

"My biggest takeaway was how powerful it is for homeless people to have a place to stay 24 hours a day," he said.

In Sacramento, the organization First Step Communities is already working to make tent cities a reality.

"It can save lives. It can provide safety, shelter, community and hope for the people involved," Executive Director of First Step Communities Steven Watters said.

Watters said potential camp sites are currently being discussed in the southern and northern parts of the city in districts two, five and eight.

Harris is on board for tent cities.

"I can think of ways that we could do it better, and I would like to move in that direction," he said.

Arguably the biggest hurdle is getting residents to warm up to the idea of homeless tent cities moving into their area.

"There was tremendous backlash (in Seattle). Kudos to the city for standing their ground," Harris said. "Look, we are in a crisis. We have to try something different."

He added Seattle residents ultimately saw the benefits in the encampments.

Another big issue is how to fund the potential encampments. The city’s special task force said it will present a plan to the city council by mid-April.